


One Hundred Letters

by luucarii



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst and Feels, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Minor Support Spoilers, Post-Time Skip, minor story spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 13:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20097964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luucarii/pseuds/luucarii
Summary: [Minor Spoilers for Golden Deer Post-Time Skip]Five years later, Byleth finds herself in her old room, with a box full of letters she never opened.





	One Hundred Letters

Byleth remembered the monastery well. There was never a day when the streets weren’t bustling, whether it was students rushing up to ask for one-on-one training, fellow coworkers asking for tactical opinions or some event happening in the dining hall or fishing spot. It was the home of her old life as a professor, the resting spot of her mother and father, and where emotions came rushing into her quicker than she could comprehend them. 

Amidst the rubble, emptiness and air of defeat, she found herself back in her old room, somehow still standing almost completely unaffected by her last battle five years ago. Her bed was made, hints of dust clinging to the blanket, her desk left with all the lesson plans and tests she had graded back then, the small spot where Sothis would sit and talk to her left empty, still awaiting a day where she would return. But the untouched room held a small package, kicked under her desk, left slightly open. 

She bent down, pulling the box out from under the desk and reached inside. Dozens of unopened envelopes messily sat inside, all of them addressed to _ Byleth Eisner _, written in a faint cursive she recognized. Byleth opened the first one she grabbed, scanning through the letter as she felt a shudder pass through her body.

_ Year 1181 _

_ Dear Teach, _

_ We’ve been looking for you. I know this is probably the worst way to try and get in touch with you but, hey, maybe by some off chance you’re back at Garreg Mach and managed to slip out of the scuffle. Marianne’s been praying for you. Leonie’s so distraught, terrified that she’ll have lost Jeralt and you so soon. Ignatz can barely bring himself to pick up a paintbrush. You know how Lorenz is, won’t admit anything but I can tell he feels off without you. Raphael has been putting on a brave face through all the food he’s eating and Lysithea refuses to talk about it. As for me, well, I miss you a lot Teach. Please, if you get this, come home. _

_ _ \- Claude von Riegan__

_ Year 1183 _

_ Dear Teach, _

_ I hope you’ve been getting my letters. It would be a sick joke to ignore them. Well, maybe you’re just stuck in a place where you can’t easily get to us. If that’s the case, I get it. Just to keep you updated, my grandfather passed recently, so I’m the new leader of the Alliance. Kinda funny, huh? Can you picture me with so much power? I started learning how to ride a wyvern, they’re rowdy ones but it gives me a lot of movement on the field. I miss taking orders from you, maybe since it’s been hard to take control and give out the orders myself. My schemes can only do so much, _ you _ were the one who complimented them perfectly. Things are beginning to change little by little, we’re beginning to grow up. A far cry from the kids you taught before. Come visit soon, Teach. _

_ _ \- Claude von Riegan _ _

_ Year 1185 _

_ Dear Byleth, _

_ I hate to start off this letter so pessimistic but, I really hope you’re not dead. I mean, it’s been five years and not a single word from you. I’ve been thinking too optimistically lately, I keep telling everyone you’ll come home to us soon. Again and again. I think I’ve been saying it more for me to believe it more so than everyone else. It’s… hard to fight without you with me. Your strategies, your split second decisions that turn the tides in battle. You’re everything I want to be as a tactician and I know there’s so much I have to learn from you… But you’re _ not here _ . Byleth… please. Give me a sign or something. Just let me know you’re alive and I’ll find you. Damn this war, I’ll leave the Alliance behind if only I could find you. _

_ This will… probably be my last letter. I don’t think my heart could handle writing another one. I hope to see you soon, Byleth. And if not… I hope you rest in peace. _

_ _ \- Claude von Riegan _ _

The letter slipped out of her hands without her realizing it, drifting to the floor softly. Five years had passed, though it had felt like nothing to her. She was gone, vanished from her home in a wakeless slumber while everyone lived on, continuing and praying for her return. A hand went over her mouth, a silent cry seized her throat. Her body shook as the strength to stand washed away. A large coil of guilt squeezed at her stomach, paining her chest as she could barely find the air to breathe.

“Hey, my friend. Did you find everything in your room, alright?” Claude knocked on the half opened door, sticking his head through the crack. He slipped inside and kneeled beside her, eyes skimming over the opened box filled with letters. A sheepish smile graced his lips. “So, you found my letters, huh? A part of me always wondered if they were ever delivered. Better late than never I guess.”

“...How could you…” The words fell out as a weak croak, “I abandoned you… and the others for _ five years _...and you still kept hope…”

Claude took the empty space beside her, slipping a hardened arm around her shoulders. How many battles had he been through without her? How many soldiers lives had he lost without her? _ How much had he suffered, without her? _

He brought a calloused hand to her face, cupping her cheek. His eyes creased, enamored by the sight of her, a sight he feared he would never see again. Her pupils shook, her cheeks shined against the fading sun outside, lips quivered with so many words that she couldn’t find the air to say.

“Byleth…” She inhaled sharply at the sound of her name, his voice carried each syllable gently, wrapping around her like a warm embrace. “As our professor, you’ve done so much for us. You’ve led us into battle, you’ve taught us well, you’ve been nothing but support for all of us. You’ve helped Marianne accept the kindness from others, Ignatz give his painting more value, Lysithea feel more mature and accepted as a soldier. You’ve given me the strength to push on, even through what’s looking to be an uphill battle. The _ least _ I could do is hold tight to the belief that you were alive, and that you were coming home to us.”

Byleth felt her head pressed into his chest, a hand tangled in her hair. Her arms snaked up around his neck as five years worth of silence spilled out in a sequence of wails. 

_ “I’m sorry it took me so long.” _She wanted so badly to say. The words felt too heavy to fumble with. 

“Welcome home, Byleth.” 

**Author's Note:**

> HOO BOY HAVE I BEEN SITTING ON THIS FIC IDEA SINCE THE TIMESKIP. I love every single emotion this game has given me and I love Claude more than I can comprehend into words.
> 
> I'm just so emotional oh my god. Currently on Chapter 19 and a girl is crying in the club. I love this game.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
